ET wrote:
"Notice all these large companies that elected to get licenses got their legal advice from their own legal departments, not from the internet! "

Or it could be a simple business decision: it's cheaper to pay than to fight them in court.
The people at LM aren't dumb; they know that the modeling companies don't have the financial resources to fight them in court, so they"ll keep charging their fees: from their point of view, why not.
BRG,
Jon